The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 eBook

Vaisampayana said, “Dismissed by the king Yudhishthira
the just, Dhritarashtra’s son Suyodhana, bending
his head down in shame and afflicted with grief and
melancholy, set out slowly. And the king, accompanied
by his four kinds of forces, proceeded towards his
city, his heart rent in grief and filled with thoughts
of his defeat along the way in a region that abounded
in grass and water. The king encamped on a delightful
piece of ground as pleased him best, with his elephants
and cars and cavalry and infantry stationed all around.
And as the king Duryodhana was seated on an elevated
bedstead endued with the effulgence of fire, himself
looking like the moon under an eclipse, towards the
small hours of the morning Karna, approaching him,
said, ’Fortunate it is, O son of Gandhari, that
thou art alive! Fortunate it is, that we have
once more met! By good luck it is that thou hast
vanquished the Gandharvas capable of assuming any
form at will. And, O son of the Kuru race, it
is by good luck alone, that I am enabled to see thy
brothers—­ mighty warriors all—­come
off victorious from that encounter, having subjugated
their foes! As regards myself, assailed by all
the Gandharvas, I fled before thy eyes, unable to
rally our flying host. Assailed by the foe with
all his might, my body mangled with their arrows, I
sought safety in flight. This however, O Bharata,
seemed to me to be a great marvel that I behold you
all come safe and sound in body, with your wives,
troops, and vehicles, out of that super-human encounter.
O Bharata, there is another man in this world who
can achieve what thou, O king, hast achieved in battle
to-day with thy brothers.”

Vaisampayana continued, “Thus addressed by Karna,
king Duryodhana replied unto the ruler of the Angas
in a voice choked with tears.”

SECTION CCXLVI

“Duryodhana said, ’O Radheya, thou knowest
not what hath happened. Therefore, I do not resent
thy words. Thou thinkest the hostile Gandharvas
to have been vanquished by me with my own energy.
O thou of mighty arms, my brothers, indeed had for
a long time, aided by me fought with the Gandharvas.
The slaughtered, indeed, on both sides were great.
But when those brave Gandharvas, resorting to their
many powers of illusion, ascended the skies and began
to fight with us thence, our encounter with them ceased
to be an equal one. Defeat then was ours and
even captivity. And afflicted with sorrow, we
along with our attendants and counsellors and children
and wives and troops and vehicles were being taken
by them through the skies. It was then that some
soldiers of ours and some brave officers repaired
in grief unto the sons of Pandu—­those heroes
that never refuse succour to those that ask for it.
And having gone to them they said, ’Here is
king Duryodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra, who with
his younger brothers and friends and wives is being
led away a captive by the Gandharvas along the sky.